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How to: Manage your Phone – PIM training tip

Consider your phone as a very valuable tool in your Personal Information Management – PIM – strategy. It should also be considered to be a very dangerous and vulnerable access point for a lot of your critical data. If managed improperly, it is the vehicle for mischief for bad people to do bad things. And quickly. There is usually valuable personal information resident on your phone. Identity theft is possible. Fraudulent spending activity is possible. Secure your contacts, calendar, personal information, e-mail, web-site activity, pictures, and your general whereabouts. Let’s secure this data, and back it up.

Tip #1: Create and use a secure password on your phone. This is CRITICAL. What I mean is this, when you pick up your phone and hit the button to activate it; the first thing you should see is a log-in screen. That way all of your data is safe. No-one can get to it without the password. NOTE: 1111 is not a secure Password… 1234 isn’t either. Make it a bit harder for someone to get into. This one is easy. Just do it!!

Tip #2: This tip is for piece of mind. Regularly back up the data on your phone. Get into a routine of powering up your phone via a connection to your system versus a standard wall power outlet. The phone will be re-powered AND the data will be synchronized and backed up on your system. Make this an automatic routine. I suggest once a week. This way, when you eventually misplace, lose, destroy your phone, or it get stolen, you will still have all of your data. This Tip is also easy. Just do it!!

IF your phone has a “Memory Card” consider using encryption on that card.

NOTE: There are a lot of different types of phones on the market. Each will have a slightly different set of instructions to perform these tips. They are not that difficult, but they will very from phone model to model. So you will need to figure out the nuances of your phone. BUT it will be worth it.

CALL TO ACTION: Set a secure log-in security code on your phone. And back up your data on a regular basis. Combine Tip #1 and Tip #2 above any you will have done about all you can do to avoid risk and secure your personal information resident on your phone.

Thank you for the comments. Curious as to the leaps in assumptions you are referring to. It is probably true that not all folks have all of the different data types I referred to, but most do. and plenty more sets of data as well. I am trying to inform folks of the risks they are taking that can be avoided with a few very simple steps. Use a security layer, and back up regularly. Surely you cannot have an issue with either of those tactics.